Soldiers of Avarice

by Stephen L. Nowland

  “My word — they’re more intricately connected than I thought,” Dale exclaimed, having watched the whole thing. He tried pressing a few more nodules, but nothing else happened.

  Aiden felt like they had been on the verge of discovering something, only to be disappointed once more. They looked down at the cube for nearly a minute before Dale spoke up.

  “Aiden, I wish to buy your cube.”

  “Funny, I was about to offer to purchase your contraption,” he responded, both of them enjoying a brief laugh. “Seriously, though, I don’t think I’m willing to part with the cube just yet. I’ll pay you for your time, though, and I’ll also take your translated notes from the papers I brought in, if you please.”

  “Oh, I was translating in my head; I didn’t actually write them down,” Dale apologized. “You’ll have to give me an hour to write them all out for you.”

  “Okay, I can spare a little time, though I have some other pressing matters to get on with.”

  “I will work with all speed, sir,” Dale assured him. Aiden took the cube out of the contraption and dropped it into a pocket. After clearing a few books of untold value from a nearby chair, he sat down to ponder these findings.

  After half an hour, there came a knock at the door. Dale was too busy to pay it any heed, so Aiden opened it and saw Pacian standing outside, clad in a new cloak.

  “Thought I might find you here,” he remarked, appearing somewhat hungover. “There’s a meeting happening in a few minutes you should come to, so finish up whatever you’re doing and let’s go.”

  “Good morning to you too,” Aiden muttered. “What’s this meeting about, and why do I have to be there?”

  “It’s about the Akoran raiders,” Pacian answered grimly. “Things have gotten worse over the past week, and I’m told there’s some new information about what’s happening.”

  “Who told you all this?” Aiden inquired.

  “Olaf, while I was getting our pay for clearing the highway, remember?”

  “Oh, I’d forgotten all about that,” Aiden mumbled, realizing he’d been thinking about nothing but his discoveries all morning.

  “Yeah, figured you might,” Pacian remarked with a raised eyebrow. “Anyway, it took some doing, but I managed to pry our money out of the corrupt old bugger. Here’s your cut,” he added, handing over a gold sovereign, which Aiden put into his pouch.

  “Right, I’ll be there as soon as I’ve finished up,” Aiden finished. “Where is the meeting being held?”

  “The barracks, behind the mayor’s office. I’ll see you there,” Pacian answered, and then swaggered off along the street.

  Dale had finished the translation so, their business concluded, Aiden shook his hand and bid him good day, then headed straight for the barracks. A local militia member stood guard outside the large doors and upon recognizing him, allowed Aiden to pass with a quick gesture.

  There were over a dozen people inside, listening to a woman in chain mail. She hesitated mid-sentence as Aiden entered, casting an annoyed glance at him before she continued speaking. Pacian gestured Aiden over to where he had saved a seat for him.

  Glancing around, he could see Nellise and Colt across the room, pointedly focused upon the armored woman. Aiden sighed inwardly, sensing the awkward distance between them, both physically and metaphorically.

  Sayana appeared next to Aiden, placing a hand lightly on his shoulder. He smiled up at her, but noticed a certain tension in her features that hadn’t been there before.

  “No, you’re right, Mister Clifton, in that they have avoided empty carts returning from Coldstream,” the armored woman was saying, her voice sounding too small for her solid frame. The man she addressed was a local wheat farmer, and like many of the other locals present, he wore a look of mild anxiety as they talked about the situation.

  “Clearly, the raiders are looking for food and riches. They’ve avoided the few patrols I have sent out along the road, which gives me hope that a show of force could send them running back to the hills.”

  “So the threat isn’t as bad as we initially heard?” said an older man with weathered skin and gray hair, whom Aiden recognized as David Patel, the man from whom Pacian had acquired his old ranger leathers.

  “Apparently not. I’m inclined to issue a travel warning to anyone moving east from Bracksford, and sending out a few more men to patrol the area. That should be sufficient.”

  “So, as you can see, we have the situation well in hand,” Olaf declared to the assembled audience. “Thank you for your time; I will make every effort to keep you apprised of the situation as it continues to develop.”

  Sensing the end of the conversation, most of the assembled crowd began to leave, talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. David, however, wore a look of obvious skepticism as he passed the mayor.

  It suddenly occurred to Aiden what was really going on — he put his hand on Pacian’s shoulder as he started to stand and indicated he should wait. He noticed that Nellise and Colt weren’t leaving, either. When the last of the civilians had cleared the room, the door was closed behind them, and then the real meeting began.

  “I apologize for the deception,” Olaf began, stepping forward to address them, “but as you can imagine, the townsfolk are rather skittish after all the recent troubles—”

  “So you lied to them to put them at ease; how unprecedented,” Aiden interrupted cynically.

  “Regrettably, yes,” Olaf conceded. “When you hear what Corporal Redfurn has to say, I’m sure you’ll understand my reasoning. You all have a lot to discuss, and I have to prepare for the arrival of a very important dignitary from Fort Highmarch, so I shall leave you to your affairs.” With that, the elderly statesman left.

  “Shifty bastard,” Colt muttered. “So what the hell is going on?”

  “Last night, I received word from an associate of yours, who has been keeping an eye on the Akorans,” Corporal Redfurn said, getting right to the point.

  “A ranger?”

  “His name is Duncan, if that means anything to you. He was coordinating with a younger woman in the same leathers, though I didn’t meet her.”

  “Yeah, I know him; damn good ranger. If anyone can find out what’s going on, it’s him. The young lady would be Sally. She’s probably been spying on them for weeks.”

  “What have they discovered so far?” Nellise asked politely.

  “Duncan relayed a message before heading back out to continue his surveillance,” Tara continued. “We’ve had good relations with the Akoran tribal people for decades, up until about three months ago, when they cut off trade and forbade anyone from entering their lands.

  “We couldn’t figure out what had happened, until recently. Apparently, they’ve had a change of leadership, and the new chief, Erag, is a brutal, vicious bastard.

  “This new leader has a different perspective on relations with Aielund and has whipped his people into a frenzy, preparing them for war and citing past grievances to lend weight to his claims. It doesn’t help our position that some of those claims have a lot of truth to them. Aielund did take most of their ancient lands and left them with only the mountains in the south to call home, causing many in their population to harbor a grudge that hasn’t diminished over the years.

  Several hundred of their warriors have joined his cause, sensing that our patrol numbers are greatly diminished thanks to the king fighting a war somewhere else, and they’re preparing to seize this opportunity. The Akoran raiders have set up a fortified camp not far south of Coldstream, and their numbers are growing day by day. Pretty soon, they’ll have enough people to crush everything in their path and plunder this entire region. They might even be able to hold it, if the king’s army doesn’t return soon.”

  “So, what would happen if this Erag met with an unfortunate accident?” Pacian asked delicately. Aiden noticed a flicker of irritation cross Nellise’s face — clearly, he wasn’t going to endear himself by proposing more bloodshed.

  �
��By itself, taking out Erag would probably make things worse,” Tara explained. “But if you couple that with reinstating their previous, and dare I say, rightful leader, that might be enough to settle everything down.

  “Ah, nothing like a good old assassination to solve all our problems,” Pacian drawled.

  “You believe this to be our only solution?” Nellise asked, looking mostly at Pacian, but including Aiden in her stern gaze. “Kill whomever we don’t like? I would think the Akoran people would be outraged at our meddling and go to war anyway.”

  “I would agree with that,” Tara interjected, “except for one thing. My sources say their former chief, Morik Far-Eagle, disappeared right before Erag seized power. Morik was always cooperative with Aielund, and beloved by his people.

  “Erag will only be able to rule if he defeats Morik in a ritual fight, which has to be condoned by the shamanic council. That hasn’t happened for some reason, and since there’s been no sign of Morik’s head on a spear, our guess is he’s still alive, somewhere. And if he’s not, simply taking out Erag might be our only choice.

  “The difficult part is getting past so many of their people, all fired up for war. But thanks to your efforts clearing the highway, I’ve been able to send some of our guards south of Coldstream to bolster our numbers. We have fifteen good people out there, led by two rangers.”

  “Sayana is from Akora,” Aiden volunteered for her. “Maybe you could guide us in?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Sayana hedged. “They will have patrols covering the entrances, and getting past them without being seen will be all but impossible.”

  “Two rangers managed to do it,” Tara disagreed. “And from what I hear around town, your wilderness skills should easily be a match for theirs. All you have to do is scout ahead for us and let us know when it’s safe to move. What’s the terrain around there like?”

  “The High Plains are just that, mostly flat and covered in snow at this time of year,” Sayana explained. “If the winds are low, there could be fog. If not, we may well be exposed.”

  “We can get some white cloaks to help us blend in with the snow,” Aiden suggested. “Big ones, that cover us properly, so we can blend in with the terrain regardless of the weather.”

  “If Morik is being held near their forward camp, it will be extremely difficult to get to him without running into the guards,” Sayana retorted. “If you are planning to bypass the warriors, free Morik, and then have him lead an uprising, I think you had better come up with another plan.”

  “All things being equal, I would prefer to do it the way you just described,” Tara remarked. “I can only assume you will have to dispatch a few guards here and there, as a matter of necessity. With your assistance, our people will be able to minimize these casualties. Isn’t that worth the risk, if it avoids a war?”

  “I ... can’t,” Sayana protested with a quivering voice. “I haven’t been back to Akoran lands in a long time; I wouldn’t have any chance of guiding you to the right place.”

  “I recall you saying you hadn’t been there for six months, back when we first met,” Aiden noted. “That isn’t such a long time. Is your memory that poor?”

  The wild girl looked like a trapped rabbit, eyes darting back and forth looking for a way out. Aiden knew that she hadn’t been completely forthcoming with information about her past, or the real reasons for her exile to the mountains.

  “You were on your own a lot longer than six months, weren’t you,” he began, speaking gently so as not to seem accusing. “And you didn’t leave Akora because they were low on food, either.”

  Sayana shook her head meekly before taking a deep breath and plunging in. “As my abilities began to manifest, the people became nervous, thinking I was cursed. They do not like sorcery, or those who practice it.

  “My father, a respected man in the tribe, was pushed into doing something about me, over my mother’s objections. They didn’t dare kill me, for it is said that killing a witch brings a curse upon the murderer. I was abandoned in the mountains as a small child, eighteen years ago.” She said it without emotion.

  “Eighteen?” Colt said in disbelief. “But you can’t be more than sixteen years old.”

  “I’m not entirely human,” she replied softly, pushing aside her wild hair to reveal slightly pointed ears, a hallmark of those of elven heritage. “My mother was elven, and they age far more slowly than humans.

  “I am actually twenty-eight years old. I was cast out and left to die in the wilderness by my own people for practicing sorcery, and if I return, they will surely do worse this time.”

  There was only silence in the room as everyone present digested this startling turn of events. “I, for one, consider the character of an individual over any concerns about blood,” Nellise stated eventually. “And I think I can safely speak for everyone here when I say that your heritage is of little concern to us.

  “I can only imagine the fear you must be feeling at the thought of walking back into your homeland to face your people. I do not think this is the wisest course of action, but if we can avoid further bloodshed by freeing Morik, then I believe it is worth the risk.”

  “You needn’t actually face them if you don’t want to,” Tara added, compassion in her voice. “Guide the others in, then hide and wait for them to leave.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you,” Aiden added firmly.

  Sayana appeared lost in thought for a long moment before answering. “Very well; I will help however I can,” she finally said.

  “Did Duncan say where their main camp was?” Colt asked the corporal.

  “Yes; I’ll show you,” Tara said, pulling out a rolled-up piece of parchment with a crude map sketched upon it. She laid it out on a small table in the middle of the room, and everyone gathered around it to look.

  Sayana pointed out a series of caves in the area she remembered being used by the Akorans years ago. This matched Duncan’s information that a palisade had been erected around the caves, with enough room inside for a thousand warriors to make camp.

  It seemed like an impregnable defense, except for the hill to the west of the camp where the palisade ended. With some cautious maneuvering, they might be able to creep around the hill and get to the cave entrance from behind, with only minimal encounters with the guards.

  “The inside of the caves is something you will have to figure out yourselves,” Sayana finished.

  “We’ll manage,” Colt grunted, deep in thought.

  “If you like,” Pacian suggested, “I could sneak in there by myself, free Morik, disable the guards, and cut the head off Erag while he’s sleeping. The only trouble is, I don’t know what I’d do with the rest of my day.”

  “Cocky little bastard isn’t he,” Tara remarked.

  “Yes, you’re taking this far too lightly, Pacian,” Nellise chastised him. “As I have been telling you for the past two weeks, there are better ways to deal with people like this. Given the chance, I’m going to try and talk sense to this man before you stick a knife in his back.”

  “And as I’ve been telling you,” Pacian shot back, “there are some real monsters out there, and I’m not talking about giant serpents, either. While you’re trying to deal with this man, he’ll be laughing at your naivety and getting ready to cut your head off with his axe, or something far worse! Some people need killing, Nellise. The sooner you learn that, the longer you’ll live.”

  “Enough!” Aiden barked. “We’ll evaluate the situation when we get there, but from what I’m hearing, there isn’t going to be much room for negotiation on this little trip, so don’t get too attached to the idea, Nel.

  “This Erag bloke has deposed their rightful chieftain and is setting up for war. If the Akoran leadership can’t control him and he’s managed to get hundreds of the more bloodthirsty warriors onto his side, what makes you think that we, representatives of the kingdom that took their lands — the very thing he’s railing against — have any hope of
reasoning with him?”

  “It may not succeed, but given the chance, I will always look for the peaceful option,” Nellise reiterated firmly. “And don’t even try to tell me to stay behind. If I leave it up to the rest of you, you’ll charge in there to cut his head off without a moment’s hesitation.”

  “If we’re gonna do this, then let’s do it right,” Colt grunted. “No half-measures. I’m not sneaking past an army and breaking in to some bloke’s cave of doom just to have dinner with him.”

  The brief exchange between Nellise and Pacian highlighted the strained relations within the group, and was a discouraging start to what, in all likelihood, promised to be a dangerous journey. Sayana held Aiden’s hand under the table. Her grip was tight, and a quick glance at her tense features showed that this was going to be particularly difficult for her, no matter how much planning went into it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was late afternoon by the time they’d finished gathering supplies and equipment, so at Colt’s suggestion, they stayed in town that night and resolved to leave Bracksford before dawn the next day. Aiden had to get his leather breast piece mended, while Nellise acquired an entirely new iron one, plus a helmet from the smithy and a new quarterstaff to replace the one she’d lost.

  Sayana showed up at the crowded common room of the Bracksfordshire Arms wearing a snug-fitting suit of leathers that caused Aiden to forget his own name for a few moments. Pacian had been assisting her with purchases, which drew a raised eyebrow from his old friend.

  “Look, she’s always on the front line anyway,” Pacian explained, “so I figured she could use some extra protection. It’s no breastplate, but it’s better than what she’s been using.”

  “I told him I can use sorcery to armor my skin,” Sayana explained, “but he refused to listen.”

  “As I said, your strength is better used elsewhere,” Pacian counseled.

  “It sounds like he was very helpful,” Aiden remarked, expecting some sort of trick to be involved.